Deadpool & Wolverine, the latest offering from the long running MCU, arrives at a time where despite some positive recent entries (Loki S2, X-Men 97), the franchise has lost a lot of momentum (as Deadpool quips to Logan at one point, "you entered at sort of a low point"). Deadpool & Wolverine brings together Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman, well known friends, to finally have their adventure together.
If you've seen one Deadpool movie (or really any Ryan Reynolds film) you know what you're getting, and nothing has changed. The same quips are here. There's some brilliant one liners here but after a while, the quips begin to become tiresome. The more I think on it, the less I like what was being presented. Once again Hugh Jackman, returning to the role for the first time in nearly a decade, is excellent - bringing gravitas to scenes that are constantly flooded with Reynolds quips. A scene shared between Jackman and Reynolds in a car (a Honda Odyssey to be precise) stands out, as Jackman shows off his acting chops, bring rage to his delivery, as he hands Deadpool some uncomfortable truths. But these scenes are unfortunately few and far between.
A stand out among the cast is Emma Corrin as Cassandra Nova. The characters time is woefully short but Emma does everything possible to make the appearances, while fleeting, memorable. The film would only have benefited from allocating more time and focus to the character. Matthew Macfadyen hams things up as Mr. Paradox. His motives and goals are messy, a symptom of a convoluted story, that jams as many pieces together (and then quips over the mess, to make it palatable) in order to bring together Logan and Deadpool. For the first time, I found trying to understand all the timelines extremely difficult. Finally I had to bite the bullet, accept what was on screen and try not to overthink.
There's a reoccurring piece with another Deadpool. To say anything more of it would be a spoiler. But it leads to an anti-climatic battle, that ultimately achieves nothing; time wasted that could have been better suited elsewhere. And that's where some of the problems lie, the battles are weak and lack stakes. When two of your heroes, often at violent odds with each other, have regenerative powers, it's easy to lose interest quick. And Shawn Levy is not talented enough to build interest. There's talk he's up for one of the Avengers movies - a rumour that may have passed. I really hope this is not the case.
I may sound negative on Deadpool & Wolverine and admittedly I went in with high hopes. Sure, I gave it 3.5 stars (perhaps a tad high and will likely be revised to a 3 in the future) but currently I have no desire to see Deadpool & Wolverine any time soon. Despite liking Ryan Reynolds and the concept of Deadpool, I've left each film without the desire to revisit it. Perhaps, I'm simply not a fan.
Review by TheLazyReviewerBlockedParent2024-07-24T13:03:23Z
Deadpool & Wolverine, the latest offering from the long running MCU, arrives at a time where despite some positive recent entries (Loki S2, X-Men 97), the franchise has lost a lot of momentum (as Deadpool quips to Logan at one point, "you entered at sort of a low point"). Deadpool & Wolverine brings together Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman, well known friends, to finally have their adventure together.
If you've seen one Deadpool movie (or really any Ryan Reynolds film) you know what you're getting, and nothing has changed. The same quips are here. There's some brilliant one liners here but after a while, the quips begin to become tiresome. The more I think on it, the less I like what was being presented. Once again Hugh Jackman, returning to the role for the first time in nearly a decade, is excellent - bringing gravitas to scenes that are constantly flooded with Reynolds quips. A scene shared between Jackman and Reynolds in a car (a Honda Odyssey to be precise) stands out, as Jackman shows off his acting chops, bring rage to his delivery, as he hands Deadpool some uncomfortable truths. But these scenes are unfortunately few and far between.
A stand out among the cast is Emma Corrin as Cassandra Nova. The characters time is woefully short but Emma does everything possible to make the appearances, while fleeting, memorable. The film would only have benefited from allocating more time and focus to the character. Matthew Macfadyen hams things up as Mr. Paradox. His motives and goals are messy, a symptom of a convoluted story, that jams as many pieces together (and then quips over the mess, to make it palatable) in order to bring together Logan and Deadpool. For the first time, I found trying to understand all the timelines extremely difficult. Finally I had to bite the bullet, accept what was on screen and try not to overthink.
There's a reoccurring piece with another Deadpool. To say anything more of it would be a spoiler. But it leads to an anti-climatic battle, that ultimately achieves nothing; time wasted that could have been better suited elsewhere. And that's where some of the problems lie, the battles are weak and lack stakes. When two of your heroes, often at violent odds with each other, have regenerative powers, it's easy to lose interest quick. And Shawn Levy is not talented enough to build interest. There's talk he's up for one of the Avengers movies - a rumour that may have passed. I really hope this is not the case.
I may sound negative on Deadpool & Wolverine and admittedly I went in with high hopes. Sure, I gave it 3.5 stars (perhaps a tad high and will likely be revised to a 3 in the future) but currently I have no desire to see Deadpool & Wolverine any time soon. Despite liking Ryan Reynolds and the concept of Deadpool, I've left each film without the desire to revisit it. Perhaps, I'm simply not a fan.